1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to medical devices and more particularly to a tongue anteriorizer capable of moving the tongue anteriorly and then lifting it to open the laryngopharyngeal space for upper airway management, and a method of operating same.
2. Description of Related Art
Endotracheal intubation is the process of inserting the endotracheal tube into the trachea. It is the most important procedure for general anesthesia and respiratory resuscitation. Because of variance in oral anatomy, it can be very difficult to do and become “difficult intubation.” When that happens, it may cause damage to the airway. If it failed completely, the patient will be in a disaster situation.
There are four groups of medical device for endotracheal intubation, namely, laryngoscope, video laryngoscope, video stylet, and fiberoptic scope.
Laryngoscope is the most common device used for endotracheal intubation. After inserting it into the mouth, it pushes the tongue and mandible forward at about 45-degree angle to open the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the laryngopharyngeal space. However, this method is not easy to use on small chin, big tongue, and obese patient because the open space in the oral cavity is small, and it is not easy for laryngoscope to have enough space to work efficiently. For experienced physicians, the success rate for endotracheal intubation is about 90 to 95%. Further, endotracheal intubation failure may injure tissues of the mouth, or even causes the life of a patient.
Video laryngoscope improves on the laryngoscope by adding the video camera. It provides better visibility but does not solve the problems of the laryngoscope.
Video stylet is inside the endotracheal tube and is guided forward by its video image. Because it does not have functionality to open the space, the secretion of the mouth can make it very difficult to see. Pushing it forward, it may move the tongue together and change the normal anatomy around the larynx. When this happens, it is very easy to be disoriented and fails the intubation.
The diameter of fiberoptic scope is smaller and it has a suction function. Its success rate is the best among all intubation devices. However, the learning period is long, and it is time consuming, i.e., very often it will take more than one try to finish the procedure. It is also expensive and easily damaged.
All the problems from the above intubation devices come from not able to open the oral airway properly. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.